SUSAN’S Blog

Nothing feels worse than a broken heart, the kind you get when someone you love ends the relationship. Feelings of shame, remorse, grief, rage, and terror can overwhelm even the most stable human being. Heartbreak has the power to reframe a workable life as a disaster. Surprisingly, Buddhism has a tremendous amount of helpful advice for working with these terrible... READ MORE

Am putting finishing touches on the audiobook for The Wisdom of a Broken Heart. I’m really excited about it. Here is Chapter Two: “Nothing Happens” 6:16 minutes long. Sign up for my newsletter, “The Open Heart Project,” to connect more deeply, receive messages about working with the energy of the heart, and also for notifications of when the whole audiobook... READ MORE

Thrilled to have met in person with Bridget for this fun, sweet, and soulful interview about love, heartbreak, and where true wisdom comes from. It’s 32 minutes long and if you’d like to listen, click on the image. “I talked with Susan Piver about her book and about the purpose of heartbreak. If you’re in the space of heartbreak, this... READ MORE

Lovely speaking with Dr. Eric Schneider today on his online radio show, “About Relationships.” We talked about the following: What made you (me!) write this book? What IS the wisdom of a broken heart? It hurts so much and generates so much confusion… How can we re-envision the pain as wisdom? What does Buddhism have to say about heartbreak? What... READ MORE

Did an interview with Michele Rosenthal for her site, Heal My PTSD. Here is a link to the audio interview, if you’d like to listen. myths about meditation how to begin a simple meditation practice the benefits of meditation in PTSD recovery inner growth from trauma benefits of creativity in healing posttraumatic stress (ever heard of the word ‘vibing’?) the... READ MORE

Since The Wisdom of a Broken Heart came out, I’ve had the honor of speaking with many people who are meeting this incredibly difficult life passage with courage and tenderness. We talk about the endless waves of grief, fear, and rage and how one could possibly weather them. We talk about the valuable, hard-won heart opening that can arise. And... READ MORE

Among the many difficulties that come with a breakup, the worst may be when the person who broke up with you will not discuss it and may even cut off contact altogether. I have one friend who was talking about marriage one day, and the next, literally, could not get her to take his calls. Eventually, he got a letter... READ MORE

(Photo: Vanessa Pike-Russell’s Flickr photostream) When your heart is broken or you’re otherwise dealing with strong painful emotions, the idea of feeling genuine loving kindness for anyone can seem far-fetched, much less yourself or the one who broke your heart. Loving kindness is soft and gentle, but your heart feels cold and numb or enflamed with rage—not loving at all.... READ MORE

I and Twitter pals Hiro Boga (@hiroboga), Mahala Mazerov (@luminousheart), and Jennifer Louden (@jenlouden) all wrote on the same topic today: The process of writing. For a kaleidoscopic view of this issue (storytelling vs truth telling), check them out. Hiro Boga: Tsunamis in the House of Wholeness Jennifer Louden: How to Be a Writer Who Loves the Gap Mahala Mazerov:... READ MORE

Am planning to create an unabridged audio book of “The Wisdom of a Broken Heart.” I’m going to record and edit it myself and I’m really excited about it. I see it as a chance to add some of the insights and stories I’ve garnered in the 4 months since the book was published. I’m also going to include “extras,”... READ MORE

The “short form” of my New Dimensions Café interview is now available for listening and downloading for FREE on the New Dimensions website. From their website: Program Description: “Love is the least safe thing there is. It’s fierce. You can’t domesticate it. It’s wild. When you find it you should rejoice. When you lose it you should grieve.” So says... READ MORE

(handy for working with strong emotions in general) Nothing feels worse than a broken heart, the kind you get when someone you love ends the relationship. Feelings of shame, remorse, grief, rage, and terror can overwhelm even the most stable human being. Heartbreak has the power to reframe a workable life as a disaster. Surprisingly, Buddhism has a tremendous amount... READ MORE

Change Gonna Come Sam Cooke The Dark End of the Street James Carr I Can’t Stand The Rain Ann Peebles I Can’t Stop Loving You Freddy Fender I’ve Been Loving You Too Long Otis Redding There Is An End The Greenhornes & Holly Golightly What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? Jimmy Ruffin When I Get Like This Five Royales Whole... READ MORE

Read this today on Dennis Hunter’s thoughtful, helpful blog, One Human Journey, where he writes about his spiritual journey which includes hearing amazing talks from Ani Pema at Gampo Abbey. Click here to read the rest of the post. A few days ago, Pema Chodron gave a teaching at the Abbey in which she defined the aspiration of bodhicitta in... READ MORE

In January and February I drove across the country giving talks on what heals a broken heart. The talks were based on my new book, The Wisdom of a Broken Heart. Well, what is the wisdom of a broken heart then? How can something that feels so outrageously awful contain any intelligence whatsoever? Why would anyone want to do anything... READ MORE

When in Lexington, KY last month, I did this interview with the lovely poet Katerina Stokoya-Klemer. She interviews writers for her show, Accents. (Her own accent is pretty awesome.) She interviewed me about my work from a literary perspective. This was a first for me and I enjoyed it very, very much. I also read a short chapter from the book. Here is... READ MORE

While I stayed at Jennifer Louden’s house, we talked about heartbreak, writing, and teaching. Plus she and Bob cooked for me and let me do laundry. It was awesome. Untitled from jennifer louden on Vimeo.

Here it is. I have no idea if it went well or poorly at this point, but I really liked my outfit. If you’re here looking for more info on The Wisdom of a Broken Heart and how to deal with the extraordinary situation that is heartbreak, please go here. And remember–no matter how awful it feels, something wise and... READ MORE

Scheduled to appear on CBS Early show tomorrow (Jan 5) sometime between 8a & 9a to talk about heartbreak and how to deal with it. I think Maggie Rodriguez is doing the interview. Will try to post link to video. Wish me luck…

This is how Simon & Schuster will describe my new book in their catalog. It includes the title, subtitle, brief description, and some very nice quotes to give me credibility and make me sound cool. Next step is to submit the manuscript (Oct 15) and then begin revisions based on editor’s comments and vision, which I look forward to very... READ MORE

My friend Sarah ingeniously outlines them this way. Check out her blog for more such Sarah-ness. Here are the phases as I see it… 1) The Break-up/Emotional Thrombosis/International Freak-out Whatever, that’s like a month to 6 weeks of hell, panic, devastation. All you have to do is survive and lean on your friends and family as much as possible. I... READ MORE

For my new book, “The Wisdom of a Broken Heart,” I’m compiling a list of things you could do when you think you’re about to lose it. Meant for those super acute moments when you basically can’t even remember your own name and you just need someone to give you a task. It’s divided into three categories: Distract it. Indulge... READ MORE

Jimmy Ruffin [audio:Ruffin.mp3] While writing my book on heartbreak (“The Wisdom of a Broken Heart,” due out in September ’09), I’ve turned again and again to that time honored source of knowledge and solace: music. Here are the lyrics to my current all-time fave. It is just so wrenching and poetic. Grab a kleenex and enjoy. WHAT BECOMES OF THE... READ MORE

So this is what I’ve ended up with, with around 30 hours to go before returning home after one month away. 48,366 words and many short chapters. Laid out as follows: “The Wisdom of a Broken Heart” TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Part One: Relax Chapter One: How the Light Gets In Chapter Two: Depression vs. Sadness Chapter Three: Nothing Happens... READ MORE

Only four more days until I go home. I’m at Shambhala Mountain Center right now, where I’ve been for the past few days. I’m sitting in my very favorite room in the Shambhala Lodge–#308—watching and listening to the thunder and lightning and the sound of rain. Of course it’s nowhere near as luxurious as where I was house sitting, but... READ MORE

Am in a bit of a no man’s land regarding the next book I want to write. I want to write about heartbreak from this perspective: there is wisdom in it. The good news and the bad news is that it basically destroys self-view. You are no longer able to see yourself or your life in the same terms; the... READ MORE